Improvement in lamp-wick trimmers



P. S. LYMAN.

LAMP-W'ICK TRIMMER. No. 173,977. Patented 'Feb 22, 1876.

N.PETERS, FHOTO-LITHOGRAFHER, WASHINGTON, D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PHILIP SIDNEY LYMAN, oF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR' TO HIMSELF AND ALEXANDER T. FRAZIER, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN LAMP-WIC'K TRIMMERS;

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 173,977, dated February 22, 1876; application filed January 22, 1876.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, PHILIP SIDNEY LY- MAN, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Lamp-Wick Trimmer; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a side elevation Fig. 2, a bottom view of cutte'rs Fig. 3, a cross-section of one of the cutters.

The invention consists in making a lamptrimmer with handles bent at the end and working upon the same fulcrum-pin, so that the handles will move in a vertical and actuate the cutters nearly in a horizontal plane, the said cutters being kept in closecontact by end guides, that project from one of the cutters.

A B represent handles, angular, near the ends on whose concave holders a bare attached knives O D by the screws a a b b. The lever A is fulcrumed 011 a bolt, E, that also connects it with the handle B. The knives O D are both correspondingly concaved on the under side, so as to work one over the other in close proximity. The knife 0 is provided with the end guides c c, that work under the plain straight knife or cutter D, and its cutting-edge declines from each guide or from each side toward the middle 0. I thus secure a drawing-cut with each half of the movable knife as it works against the straight edge of the fixed one. F is a stud or stop, to limit the throw of the blades.

The operation is as follows The wick being inclosed between the cutters G D, the former is pressed toward the latter by means of the handles and the wick cut gradually from each side toward the center.

This trimmer is found, in practice, to cut the wick very neatly, evenly, and with uniform efficiency.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new is- The combination of two handles, A B, angled near their ends, with two concave cutters, U D, having guides d d on the latter,

and working in a plane parallel to that in which is the fulcrum of the handles, as and for the purpose specified.

PHILIP SIDNEY LYMAN. Witnesses: I

ROBERT L. TATHAM, JOHN T. RICHARDS. 

